Whiplash
by The Dark Knight's Revenge
Summary: What if Eff decided to try to take the river magic solely upon herself? Will she burn out just like others before her, or will her powers as a double seventh daughter and thirteen be enough to save her life and be united with Lan and William?


Dr. Lefevre and Professor Torgeson started their spells, to anchor either side of the dam. Bronwyn began casting hers a moment later, to firm up the base. Roger's mapping spell slowed and stopped; he cast the final part to make the new map permanent, then started to disengage.

And then I felt the built-up magic shake and shift like loose rock underfoot, and knew that in another instant it would fall in an unstoppable flood that would sweep away the dam and all of us.

"William!" I shrieked. He didn't answer me in words, but I could sense him shoving th emagic back into place and holding it there, just as I was. Unfortunately, it wasn't like tweaking a spell. Spells are organized; they're supposed to be just so, and you can feel when something isn't where it's supposed to be and shove it back into place.

This was like a big pile of dirt - no one bit of it was supposed to be anywhere in particular, and trying to shove one part into place just made a gap somewhere else. And it didn't help any that everyone else was still draining magic out of the pile and making new gaps.

We'd delayed the collapse for a moment, but I could tell that we wouldn't be able to hold it for long - certainly not long enough for the others to finish. I could only think of one more thing to do.

I threw myself at the magic, inviting it inside me, releasing all the locks and layers I'd pressed down on myself over the years.

The magic hit me like a ton of bricks, knocking me off my feet physically. I heard Lan and William yelling my name, but ignored them and got back to my feet, still absorbing the impact of the magic.

I felt it fill me up to the bursting point, and knew I would burn out if I didn't do something soon. Instead of the rising panic I thought I would feel, I just felt a sense of calm. I used the magic inside of me and pushed against the wave, resisting it with all my strength.

I envisioned the river further up, and my world sensing found a less magic area. I pushed with all my strength, willing the magic to fold in on itself and even itself out, much like flicking a whip to untangle it.

"What the-?" Roger said from my left as the pressure decreased and the magic began to go upriver.

I shoved again, trying to make sure the flow of magic wouldn't stop, and suddenly I was caught in a rush of magic like water gushing out of a drain hole that's just been unplugged. I tried to claw myself back, but the magic bowled me over, knocking the wind out of me.

"Eff!" I heard my name being called by someone.

I felt myself burning up again, the magic was just too overpowering. Even though it was draining, the immensity of the magic was using me up.

"Someone help her!" Someone, William, yelled. Lan tried to reach out to me, but I pushed him away with my mind.

"She's not letting me!" He yelled.

"Eff, stop!" William was shaking my arm now, trying to distract me, but I released a tendril of the magic that held him away from me. The magic was surging up again, and I had to stop it before the second wave broke and drained everyone tapping into it.

I grit my teeth and grounded myself, tapping into the stored power just like before. This time, I let it fill me until I felt my hands begin to heat before pushing it off and away upstream.

This time, after I pushed off, I reached out to Adept Alikaket and fed him magic, just like before. He realized what I was doing and moved his magic faster, pushing the dam into place. Once he got the hang of tapping the magic even more, I spread myself out to help, pulling and tweaking at the dam to make it secure.

The magic was building for a third time, and a wave of exhaustion hit me like a stone. This would be the last time I could hold it off.

"Eff, god damn it..." Lan said through gritted teeth.

"Let us help!" William yelled.

"Young lady..." Wash said from his spot.

I ignored them all, peaceful once again. As the magic rushed down on me, I opened my barriers and braced myself.

The magic hit harder than both times before, whiplashing my body. I must have cried out, because the others began yelling. I couldn't understand what they were saying because all my focus was concentrated on the magic.

I took it all inside, feeling it burning all around me. This time I held it longer, feeling my hands begin to burn for real. I bit my lip against the pain and held on even longer.

"Her hands!" William cried. "She's burning up!"

I felt Wash's magic cooling me down, helping me hold the magic without actually carrying it for me. I let his magic join mine, breathing easier as my hands cooled. The magic kept flowing in, more and more.

"Help keep her cold." Wash said calmly. Instantly, I had more magics flowing in to the cooling barrier, helping divert the heat to outside my body. I could feel each person's magic reaching out to me.

First was Wash, calm and collected; then Lan, brighter but not hotter. William, so filled with worry he could barely keep the spell straight until Miss Ochiba reminded him to keep tweaking it. Miss Ochiba was cool and soothing; The professors felt unfamiliar but not unwelcome, and finally the Adept, lending barely anything, but it made the difference.

At last, I couldn't take anymore magic even with the cooling spells. I forced it upriver just like before and Adept Alikaket joined by the professors slammed the dam into place. I felt the magic unravel itself, just like the whip untangling.

I came back to my body and breathed a sigh of relief, seeing the dam completed hours ahead of time.

I hadn't let down my world sensing, otherwise I would have been completely unprepared for what happened next.

Just like a whip unravelling, a backlash of magic was headed straight for me, and there was nothing I could do about it.

"Eff, no!" William yelled, reaching out for me. I had barely enough time to look between him and Lan's scared faces, then the magic hit me full force.

My eyes widened in surprise, then I crumpled to the ground.

"EFF!" Lan and William screamed as my world went black.


End file.
